President Cyril Ramaphosa has urged world leaders to intensify investments in the health and rights of women, children and adolescents, warning that the cost of inaction would be measured in lives lost, diminished futures and destabilised communities.
The President was delivering an address on Thursday at the United Nations Population Fund (UNFPA) and Global Leaders Network dialogue on Investing in Peace: “Health for Adolescent Youth and Women.”
The session was held on the sidelines of the Tokyo International Conference on African
Speaking in his capacity as Chair of the Global Leaders Network for Women’s, Children’s and Adolescents’ Health, President Ramaphosa said the Network is a coalition of heads of state and government united by the conviction that the health, dignity and potential of women, children and adolescents are the cornerstones of a fair, prosperous and peaceful world.
WATCH | President Ramaphosa addresses UNFPA and Global Leaders Network dialogue
“The reality that we must confront is that too many women still die in childbirth of preventable causes. Too many children and adolescents still suffer and die from illnesses we know how to prevent or treat,” he said.
President Ramaphosa stressed that every avoidable death represented a policy and administrative failure while every life saved reflected political will.
The President outlined three priority areas for the Global Leaders Network:
• Placing women, children and adolescents at the centre of universal health coverage
“Health services need to be safe, effective, compassionate and responsive to the lived realities of those who need them most.”
• Increasing investment in women, children’s and adolescents’ health.
“As official development assistance is cut, many countries are pursuing domestic resource mobilisation as a sustainable health financing solution. However, we must continue to foster the principle of solidarity through multilateral financing solutions. This includes the consideration of a gap financing mechanism to address the needs.”
• Upholding sexual and reproductive health rights.
“The data is clear: a lack of access to safe abortion leads to higher incidents of deaths, costly complications and permanent damage leading to infertility.”
Calling for stronger partnerships among governments, financing institutions, civil society and the private sector, President Ramaphosa urged stakeholders to protect funding for health as a pillar of development cooperation, integrate health into climate and broader development strategies, invest in innovation and digital health, and ensure accountability.
“The Global Leaders Network commits at the highest political level to keeping the voices of the most vulnerable alive in the halls of power.
“The moral imperative is clear: no woman, child or adolescent should die of preventable causes. We must stand firm against the reversals we are witnessing in sexual and reproductive health and rights.
“We believe that every woman has autonomy over her sexuality and reproductive choices. Every adolescent should get comprehensive sexual education. Every person should be free from sexually transmitted diseases,” the President said.
President Ramaphosa concluded that women, children and adolescents must remain at the heart of sustainable development, as they represent the future the global community is striving to secure. – SAnews.gov.za
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